ADL: Anti-Semitic beliefs on rise

November 4, 2007 9:00am

Fifteen percent of Americans hold “unquestionably anti-Semitic beliefs,” according to a new survey.

The survey conducted by the Anti-Defamation League, released Nov. 1 at the ADL’s national commission meeting in New York, found that the percentage of those with strong anti-Semitic feelings had risen from 14 percent in 2005. In 1998, the figure was 12 percent. The survey’s margin of error ranged from 2 percent to 4 percent.

ADL National Director Abraham Foxman said the most worrying finding was that nearly a third of Americans believe Jews are more loyal to Israel, a number he said “hasn’t budged in 40 years.”

The survey also found that strong anti-Semitic feelings are high among foreign-born Hispanics and African Americans, 29 percent and 32 percent, respectively. Anti-Semitic sentiments are more generally found among men than women and tend to decrease with education.

The numbers for the United States also stand in marked contrast to the European figures, where ADL surveys have found that half of Europeans believe Jews are not loyal to their country and more than a third believe Jews have too much power in business and finance.